Man charged with hate crime in Ballard transgender attack

Published 10:00 pm, Wednesday, June 2, 2010

A man was charged Thursday with malicious harassment -- the state's hate crime statute -- after police said he yelled a derogatory slur at a transgender woman and assaulted her.

The incident happened about 3:50 p.m. Sunday at Northwest Market Street and 15th Avenue Northwest. The woman told an officer the suspect approached her at a bus stop, punched her several times with closed fists and yelled a slur at her.

Court documents allege the suspect, 51-year-old Daniel Patrick Woodward, told the victim she "ought to die and go to hell" after yelling the slur.

Court records show he was previously convicted of malicious harassment in 2003. The following year, he was convicted of assault and a drug charge, according to court documents. In a 2007 case, police caught him with crack under the Alaskan Way Viaduct.

Woodward's arraignment in the Ballard case is scheduled for June 17.

The Ballard victim told police she was fearful for her life and wanted to have medical attention for face and neck pain. She was taken to Ballard Swedish Hospital.

She is identified as a man in a police report and charging documents, but a police spokeswoman clarified that the victim identifies herself as a woman.

A witness who reported seeing Woodward yelling at the victim after the assault followed the suspect as he walked into a nearby store. He later pointed out the suspect to officers.

Police say Woodward was found near Northwest 54th Street and 14th Avenue Northwest and arrested for investigation of assault.

"The suspect appeared intoxicated and had a strong odor of intoxicants," Officer Trung Nguyen wrote in an incident report. "He would not respond to my questions of whether he understood his rights."

The victim was ashamed that someone would assault her based on gender, according to police. Nguyen photographed the victim's injuries as evidence, and a witness said she did not fight back.